1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a cartridge attachment and detachment apparatus provided at an air gun clip. Specifically, this invention relates to a high-pressure gas cartridge attachment and detachment apparatus for an air gun capable of attaching a high-pressure cartridge within a clip using a firing energy source of the air gun.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the related art, high-pressure gas used as a firing energy source of an air gun is mostly CO2, with a cartridge filled with CO2 being installed in an air gun for use. A cartridge is then mainly attached to and detached from a clip of an air gun.
That relating to an apparatus for the attachment and detachment of a high-pressure gas cartridge of an air gun of related art 1 and a description of installation of this cartridge is shown in FIGS. 12 to 16. An attachment and detachment apparatus for a high-pressure gas cartridge of an air gun of related art 1 is provided with a grip 101 for an air gun 100. An installation screw 102 is provided at a bottom surface side and a cartridge housing 103 is provided at the inside of the grip 101. A grip panel 104 on the left side of the grip 101 is provided so as to be freely opened and closed.
Next, a description is given according to FIGS. 12 to 16 of a state where the cartridge A is filled with CO2 at the cartridge housing 103 of the air gun 100 of related art 1. FIG. 12 is a front view of the air gun 100. FIG. 13 shows the state when the left side grip panel 104 of the grip 101 is removed from the grip 101. A gap is provided for the cartridge housing 103 within the grip 101, and the installation screw 102 is provided on the bottom surface side of the grip 101.
The installation screw 102 is provided with a projection 102b with a lower part exposed to the outside and passes through the bottom surface of the grip 101 due to a screw section 102a. The upper part is provided with a cartridge pressing section 105 positioned within the cartridge housing 103. The installation screw 102 is provided in a vertical direction of the grip 101 so as to move up and down with respect to the grip 101 as a result of rotation of the screw. Rotation of the installation screw 102 is such that rotation is caused by an operator pulling the projection 102b with their finger.
The cartridge pressing section 105 is a plate-shaped body positioned fixed to the upper end of the installation screw 102 at the bottom side of the gap of the cartridge housing 103. The center of the upper surface of the cartridge pressing section 105 has a shape corresponding to the bottom surface of the high-pressure gas cartridge A so as to form a sunken spherical shape.
The high-pressure gas cartridge A shown in FIG. 14 is inserted into the cartridge housing 103. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional illustration of the essential parts of the state when the high-pressure gas cartridge A is housed in the cartridge housing 103. In FIG. 16, the installation screw 102 is rotated so as to push up the cartridge pressing section 105, and the high-pressure gas cartridge A is pushed up within the cartridge housing 103. The tip of the upper end of the high-pressure gas cartridge A is pushed by the tip of a pierce 106 of the air gun 100 so that the cartridge A is opened up by the pierce 106. High-pressure gas (CO2) is then sent into an air chamber of the air gun 100. The cartridge A is installed in the cartridge housing 103 from above with the cartridge pressing section 105 in a state of being pushed up and this then constitutes firing energy apparatus of the air gun 100.
This procedure is then reversed in the event of extracting the cartridge A from the cartridge housing 103. Namely, the installation screw 102 is rotated in the opposite direction, the cartridge pressing section 105 is lowered, and the high-pressure gas cartridge A is extracted from the cartridge housing 103 so as to make a space.
However, in related art 1, a substantial amount of time is required to rotate the dial 102b of the installation screw 102 every time the high-pressure gas cartridge A is changed. The operation of changing the high-pressure gas cartridge A is extremely time-consuming and the operation itself is difficult. At the attachment and detachment apparatus for the high-pressure gas cartridge of the air gun of related art 1, the installation screw 102 is normal in a state projecting from the bottom surface of the grip 101. This makes handling difficult and is also unsuitable with regards to the external design of an air gun.
Next, that relating to an apparatus for the attachment and detachment of a high-pressure gas cartridge of an air gun of related art 2 and a description of installation of this cartridge is shown in FIGS. 17 to 21. The apparatus for the attachment and detachment of a high-pressure gas cartridge for an air gun is comprised of a clamp lever 202 incorporated at a bottom panel provided at the grip 201 of the air gun 200 and an adjustment screw base 203 that is separate from the clamp lever 202. Numeral 201a is a right-side grip panel, numeral 209 is a cartridge housing, and P is a pierce tip.
A clamp lever 202 is provided with a base pressing projection 202a, of a length substantially matching with the length of the bottom surface, provided at the bottom surface side of the grip 201 in such a manner as to press the adjustment base 203 in the vicinity of a lever rotation axis 204, with one end supported in a freely rotating manner at the lever rotation axis 204 constituting a rotation fulcrum. The base pressing projection 202a comes into contact with a recess 203a of the adjustment base 203.
The adjustment base 203 is provided at the bottom surface side of the grip so as to be long in a lengthwise direction of the bottom surface with one end supported in a freely rotating manner at an adjustment screw base rotation axis 205 positioned on the opposite side to the lever rotation axis 204 of the clamp lever 202. The adjustment base 203 is provided with a stroke adjustment screw 207 for adjusting the position of a cartridge pressing section 206 at the center, with the other end being urged in the direction of the bottom surface of the grip by the spring 208.
Next, a description is given of an operation for housing the high-pressure gas cartridge A in a cartridge housing 209 for an attachment and detachment apparatus for a high-pressure gas cartridge for an air gun of related art 2 based on FIGS. 18 to 21 constituting enlarged illustrations of a grip 201 of an air gun 200. FIG. 18 shows a state where the clamp lever 202 constituted by a bottom surface panel is rotated taking the lever rotation axis 204 as a fulcrum so as to open up the bottom surface. A side panel for a grip 201 (not shown) is removed, and the cartridge housing 209 is opened up. In FIG. 19, the high-pressure gas cartridge A is stored in the cartridge housing 209, the stroke adjustment screw 207 of the adjustment base 203 is rotated, and the position of the cartridge pressing section 206 is pushed up and adjusted so as to substantially make contact with the bottom surface of the high-pressure gas cartridge A. Next, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the clamp lever 202 is rotated taking the lever rotation axis 204 as a fulcrum, and is closed so as to constitute the bottom surface panel (refer to FIG. 21). As a result of this rotation, a base pressing projection 202a of the clamp lever 202 fitting with the recess 203a of the adjustment base 203 presses the adjustment base 203 up. The adjustment base 203 rotates taking an adjustment screw rotation axis 205 as a fulcrum. As a result of the pushing up of the adjustment base 203, the cartridge pressing section 206 pushes the high-pressure gas cartridge A up and into the cartridge housing 209. The tip of the upper end of the high-pressure gas cartridge A is pushed by the tip of a pierce P of the air gun 200 so that the high-pressure cartridge A is opened up by the pierce P. High-pressure gas (CO2) is then sent into an air chamber of the air gun 200.
Next, in the event of extracting the high-pressure gas cartridge A in related art 1, the clamp lever 202 constituting a bottom surface panel is rotated taking the lever rotation axis 204 as a fulcrum so as to open up the bottom surface. In doing so, the adjustment base 203 is rotated in the direction of the bottom surface taking the adjustment screw rotation axis 205 as a fulcrum due to the urging force of the spring 208. Next, the stroke adjustment screw 207 is made to rotate so that the position of the cartridge pressing section 206 is lowered so as to come away from the bottom surface of the high-pressure gas cartridge A. The high-pressure gas cartridge A is then extracted from the cartridge housing 209.
Because the clamp lever 202 constitutes the bottom surface panel, the apparatus for attaching and detaching the high-pressure gas cartridge of the air gun of related art 2 is shorter than the length of the bottom surface of the grip. It is therefore not possible to make the lever operation force of the clamp lever 202 large. Because of this, a comparatively large force is required to open and close the clamp lever 202 and it is therefore difficult for an elderly person or female to carry out an operation for changing the high-pressure gas cartridge.
Further, there is also the problem that the distance (moveable range) moved in the vertical direction by the cartridge pressing section 206 is small due to the lever action of the clamp lever 202 not being large. In order to cover this kind of defect, in related art 2, the clamp lever 202 is provided with a member referred to as a separate adjustment base 203. The stroke adjustment screw 207 and the cartridge pressing section 206 are provided at the adjustment base 203. The distance of movement of the cartridge pressing section 206 due to rotation of the stroke adjustment screw 207 is adjusted upon the pushing up of the high-pressure gas cartridge A.
The attachment and detachment apparatus of the high-pressure gas cartridge of related art 2 has many members and is complex. In addition, the operation of changing the high-pressure gas cartridge A also requires an operation of rotating a stroke adjustment screw and this operation is also complex.
Further, it is also not possible for the length of the bottom surface of the grip to be longer than normal from a design point of view because of the functions of the air gun.